My blog post about the experiences I encountered calling every creative services director in the country garnered quite a few comments. Doug wrote a tongue-in-cheek comment about his answering machine calling your answering machine. But most of the public comments left on the site were more serious. …it is also just about as impossible to […]
Latenight Host Shouts Out Local TV Marketer
Creative services directors in local television mostly toil away in anonymity. No one is asking for our autographed picture or a selfie with us at any community event, like they might with the on-air talent. But when a latenight talk show host mentions you by name on national TV, that’s a big deal. And so […]
How Charlotte’s WCNC Touts Scoop in Its Marketing
When Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon walked out of the federal courthouse immediately after his arrest on public corruption charges on Wednesday, March 26, only one reporter was waiting to question him, WCNC’s Senior Reporter Rad Berky from the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate. And within a few hours, Luanne Stuart, WCNC’s creative services director, had turned the scoop […]
The First Network Medical Marijuana Ad
I suppose it was inevitable. Comcast approves the first network medical marijuana ad. The ad is airing in New Jersey and Chicago on networks including AMC, Comedy Central, ESPN, and Fox among others. Look for it to be shown between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. but don’t expect to see it on networks that specialize […]
The Two Words Steve Jobs Hated Most
Perhaps no other American has had more influence on modern culture than the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. His authorized biography, Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson, is a fascinating read about the genius and eccentricities of Jobs. What was it like to work with him? Check out this video interview with Allison Johnson, former Apple […]
News Anchor Comes Out of Retirement for Promo
Tracy Rowlett, a fixture on local TV news in the Dallas market for 34 years, came out of retirement for a day to talk about his favorite news anchor now that he’s ‘just a news viewer’. “The spot was totally ad-libbed, no script,” said Rowlett. Rowlett says the new spot for KTVT, the CBS affiliate […]
Gannett’s CMO Reveals Top Priority. It’s Not What You Think.
Maryam Banikarim has been the senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Gannett since March 2011. In a recent article she penned about her job, Banikarim reveals what drew her to her role at Gannett, why other executives say she isn’t a typical CMO, and the one area every CMO ought to focus […]
What I Learned Calling Every CSD in the Country
I have been calling every creative services director in the country to introduce myself and tell them that my weekly Market Share column is now a daily blog that will be updated several times during the course of the day. I go to each station’s website, find the main number and call. Here’s what I’ve […]
Happy in Richmond
Pharrell Williams new song, Happy, is one of the catchiest, toe-tapping songs I’ve heard in a long time. And it works, listen to that tune and you’ll feel happy. So WWBT, NBC12 in Richmond, Va., created this video to celebrate the United Nation Foundation’s International Day of Happiness. Brandon Seier, WWBT’s creative service director, says […]
Movers and Shakers
Jeff Holub, the creative services director for WGCL, the CBS affilate in Atlanta, has a new promotion manager. David Tallarico joins CBS46 and Peachtree TV from the Johnstown market in the great state of Pennsylvania, where he was the CSD at WJAC. David has also worked at WPXI Pittsburgh. Classically trained as a topical writer/producer, David […]